Last week to see ‘Artists of Hawai‘i 2017′

You have just one more week to see Artists of Hawai‘i 2017, whichis a milestone in the exhibition’s nearly 70-year history.

This year’s show was designed to offer visitors an immersive experience, one that they could participate in rather than just observe. If Instagram’s waterfall of shadow puppet images taken in Kasey Lindley’s video installation and shots of visitors looking lost in Kaili Chun and Hongtao Zhou’s storm of orange and green nets under the hashtag #ArtistsofHawaii2017 is any indication, it worked.

“The installations offered museum visitors an all together different kind of HoMA experience,” says arts of Hawai‘i curator Healoha Johnston, who curated the exhibition. “Especially those museum visitors who entered the gallery while 25 UH dance students were performing their choreographed, physical responses to the artwork by Kaili Chun, Hongtao Zhou, Kaori Ukaji, and Kasey Lindley.”

Back in February, in the days leading up to the exhibition opening, we recorded Johnston discussing her approach to this year’s exhibition, and asked the artists —as they took a break from installing—about their works. Here’s the video.

What’s in store for the next Artists of Hawai‘i? “Discussions for Artists of Hawaiʻi 2020 are yet to begin,” Johnston explains. “But in the same way this year’s version departed from earlier Artist of Hawai‘i exhibitions, my hope is that Artists of Hawai‘i 2020 will be completely different from Artists of Hawai‘i 2017 through the work of artists who are willing to reinvent the show yet again, making it fresh and relevant for a 2020 audience.”

Artists of Hawai‘i 2017is on view through May 28. The exhibition is made possible by Diane and Walter Dods, The Dods Foundation.